FMM awarded $16.7 million for frigate land-based testing site

Constellation class frigate [Image: Fincantieri Marine Group]

Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Marinette, Wis., has awarded a $16,672,953 firm-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-2300. The award is for procurement of long-lead time material for the land-based engineering testing site for the Constellation-class frigate.

Work will be performed in Camden, N.J., (75.53%); Houston, (14.66%); Mokena, Ill. (2.31%); and Marinette, Wis. (7.50%), and is expected to be completed by October 1, 2025. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $16,672,953 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Bath, Maine, is the contracting activity.

While the Constellation-class uses the same power dense GE LM2500+G4 gas turbine as the parent-class Italian Navy FREMM frigates in a COmbined Diesel eLectric And Gas turbine (CODLAG) propulsion system, this is the initial U.S. Navy use of the LM2500+G4 engine.

As the ship’s Combined Diesel Electric and Gas Hull, Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) drive train has not previously been used on U.S. Navy ships, Congress placed a requirement for land based testing in Section 125 of the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act. According to a Congressional Research Service report on the frigate program, it “requires the Navy to commence, prior to the delivery of the first FFG-62, a land- based test program for the FFG-62 engineering plant (i.e., its propulsion system and related machinery).

The provision specifies how the test program is to be conducted and requires the Navy to complete the test program not later than the date on which the first FFG-62 is scheduled to be available for tasking by operational military commanders.”